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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · capital · root · leaves · cold · bulb · charge · nail

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. charge — in control
  3. capital — a city
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. root — of a word
  6. sharp — clever
  7. charge — a price
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — the cause
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. charge — electricity
  19. capital — money
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. root — of a plant
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com